SKA - CSKA. Facts of game one

This was the 40th KHL Gagarin Cup playoff match between these two teams. So far, SKA have recorded 19 victories, while CSKA Moscow have tallied 21 wins. Nevertheless, the goal difference of 88-82 is in SKA's favour. It's worth pointing out that 21 of SKA's 61 playoff defeats have indeed been suffered against CSKA.

Forward Anton Burdasov has recorded 191 (94+97) points as a SKA player. Overall, he is in seventh place in the all-time club ranking in terms of points.

At the age of 41 years and 214 days, CSKA forward Alexander Popov became the oldest player to score a winning goal in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.

Furthermore, Popov became the seventh player to record a minimum of 30 (8+22) points against SKA in the Russian championship between 1996 and 2022. Four of his goals and six of his assists against SKA have been witnessed in the playoffs.

Popov's maiden appearance against SKA was made on 16 January 2000 for Avangard Omsk, three months before fellow CSKA forward Maxim Sorkin - who scored the opening goal for the Moscow-based organisation yesterday - was born. This was the second occasion when Popov netted a game-winner against SKA, with his first winning goal against our team having been scored on 2 February 2008 for Avangard.